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<h1>Durak (Russian for <i>Stupid</i>)</h1>

This rules rendition by Alejandro Tkaczevski.<p>

</p><h2>Object</h2>
Not to lose.  There is no single winner, but there is a single 
loser.<p>
The last player with cards in hand is the loser.  The game involves some 
luck but mostly strategy.  Like in chess, each player may develop his or 
her own style of playing.</p><p>

</p><h2>Players</h2>
Three to five or six players, usually four.<p>

</p><h2>Preparing the Deck</h2>
There are several variations of this game depending 
on how many players, and the general level of expertise.  For large groups 
(5 or 6 players) and/or beginners usually the whole deck is used.  For a 
smaller group and/or a faster game a smaller deck is used.<p>

</p><h3>Large Deck</h3>
Use one deck of 52 cards.  Remove the Jokers.<p>
Card values in ascending order: 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 J Q K A trump.</p><p>

</p><h3>Small Deck (preferable)</h3>
Use one deck of 52 cards.  Remove the Jokers, as 
well as all the cards of a face value of five or less (except the Aces).<p>
Card values in ascending order: 6 7 8 9 10 J Q K A trump.</p><p>

</p><h2>Preparation</h2>
Except for the first game of the evening, the loser of the 
previous game is the dealer.<p>
</p><ol>
<li>Shuffle the cards.<p>
 
</p></li><li>The dealer asks the person to his left to cut the deck.  <i>Optional</i>: If 
this is not the first game of the evening, the player may opt not to cut the deck 
by saying "Nye snimayu shapkee Doo-rah-kam" ("I do not tip my hat to idiots").  
The dealer must go around the table asking for people to cut the deck.  
If all refuse, the dealer cuts the deck.<p>

</p></li><li>If the small deck is used, deal six cards to each player.  If the 
large deck is used deal seven (usually) or six (rarely) cards to each 
player depending on general agreement.<p>

</p></li><li>After the players have received all their cards, reveal the top card 
of the deck.  Place it on the middle of the table, place the deck on top 
of the revealed card, covering  it half way.  This card
represents the trump suit and is now at the bottom of the deck.  Cards in 
this suit hold a higher value then the Aces of the other suits.  Within the 
trump suit card  hierarchy is maintained. <i>Optional</i>: Before game play 
begins the player who holds a two (large deck) or six (small deck) of
the trump suit in their hand may opt to exchange their card for the 
revealed trump card.  This may only be done before the game begins.<p>
</p></li></ol>

<h2>Game Play</h2>
<ol>
<li>The game consists of a series of attacks (where players get a chance 
to get rid of cards) and defenses (where players are threatened with having 
to add cards to their  hand unless of course they are succesful in defending themselves). 
<p> 

</p></li><li>Each player gets a turn to defend himself.  As players are eliminated 
from the game, the order of defenders must be maintained (see notes below).<p>

</p></li><li>The first attacker is the player on the left of the dealer (dealer 
attacks last).  The defender is the player to the left of the attacker.  
Game play procedes clockwise.<p>

</p></li><li>There are three common variations in <u>Durak</u>: 
<ol><li>Pros-toy (simple)
</li><li>Pod-kid-noy (underhand)
</li><li>Pe-re-vod-noy (pass the buck).
</li></ol>
Podkidnoy is the most popular.  This variation will be described in the 
main body of the rules.  The rules for the other two variations will
descibed in the <b>Variations</b> section.<p>
</p></li></ol>

<h2>Attacking</h2>
<ol>
<li>Attacker reveals a card from his hand by placing it on the table so 
all can see.  Hint A*.<p>

</p></li><li>After the first card has been defended all players become attackers 
and may add cards to the table as long as they are of the same face value 
as other cards in play.  Hint B*.<p>

</p></li><li>Maximum cards to be defended must be as many as have been originally 
dealt to each player (6 or 7) or until the defender runs out of cards, 
whichever is less.<p>
</p></li></ol>

<h2>Defending</h2>
<ol>
<li>Defender must respond to the revealed card by beating it with a card 
of the same suit of higher value or a card of the trump suit.  Hint C*. Hint D*.<p>

</p></li><li>If the defender has no appropriate card he must pick up the card and 
add it to his hand, thereby losing his turn to attack.  If the defender 
picks up the first  attacking card, the turn is over.<p>

</p></li><li>If the defender beats the first card, all other players may join in as 
attackers.<p>

</p></li><li>Defender must beat all revealed cards.  Otherwise he must pick all 
cards in play including ones that have been beaten.  Hint E*.<p>

</p></li><li>Maximum cards to be defended must be as many as have been originally 
dealt to each player (6 or 7) or until the defender runs out of cards, 
whichever is less.<p>

</p></li><li>A successful turn ends when the defender beats all attacking cards.  
All cards that have been revealed during this turn are removed from the game.<p> 
</p></li></ol>

<h2>End of Turn</h2>
<ol>
<li>When a defender has successfully beaten all the attacking cards, all 
the cards that have been in play are removed from the game.<p>

</p></li><li>Every player must take his turn to refresh his hand by taking as many 
cards from deck as needed to bring his hand to a total of as many as have 
been originally dealt to each player (6 or 7).  The original attacker refreshes 
his hand first.  All other attackers follow in clockwise order. 
Defender refreshes his hand last.  Hint F*.<p>

</p></li><li>If the deck has been exhausted, players who are left empty handed 
withdraw from the game. They are lucky, for they will not have a chance to lose.<p>

</p></li><li>The player who completed a successful defence becomes the next 
attacker against the player to his left.  If the defender was not successful, 
the player to his left becomes the attacker.  Hint G*.<p>
</p></li></ol>

<h2>Endgame</h2>
The endgame begins as soon as the deck is exhausted and there are no more 
cards to refresh one's hand.  As cards and players are eliminated, strategy becomes much 
more important than luck.  The last two players battle out their fates, until one player 
remains with cards in hand.  This player is the <i>Durak</i> and the dealer of the 
next game. (There have been games where there was no loser when two players remain 
each holding one card.  The attacker reveals his card. The defender happens to be 
able to beat it.  The game is over without a loser.  But this happens very rarely.)<p>

</p><h2>Variations</h2>
<h3>Prostoy (simple)</h3>
The rules are the same as above, except that each turn consists of one attacker, 
and one defender.  Other players do not get a chance to attack 
once the first card has been beaten.  They only watch until it is their turn to be 
attacker or defender.  This variation is usually played only for didactic reasons.<p>

</p><h3>Prevodnoy (pass the buck)</h3>
The rules are the same as Prostoy with one addition.  If a defender finds that 
he has a card of the same value as the attacker has placed on the table, he
places that card down and passes off both cards to the player on his left 
to defend.  This variation is rarely played.<p>

</p><h3>Podkidnoy-Perevodnoy (underhand and pass the buck)</h3>
This variation is popular with children and is much sillier than plain Podkidnoy.  
The rules are the same as Podkidnoy (described in the main body of the rules) with 
the same addition as in (c.).  If a defender (Misha) finds that he has a
card of the same value as the attacker (Tanya) has placed on the table, 
he places that card down and passes off both cards to the player on his 
left (Boris) to defend.  Each new defender (Boris) must attempt to beat all 
cards on the table.  However new attacking cards may be placed on
the table only after all the passed cards have been beaten.  The 
possibility exists that the third player may pass the buck as well... 
and even the fourth player...<p>

</p><h2>Notes Regarding Order of Defenders</h2>
Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the game to get used
to is that turns are based on order of defenders.  This becomes important 
in the end game when players are eliminated.<p>

Players are eliminated in two ways:
</p><ol>
<li>An attacker used his last card, 
</li><li>A defender has successfully beaten all cards on the table and is left empty handed. 
</li></ol>
In the first case, game play procedes in an obvious manner.  In the 
second case, game play is not necessarily as obvious.<p>

When the defender is left empty handed (Misha), successfully completing his turn, 
it would normally be his turn to attack.  However the deck has been exhausted.  
The player on his left (Boris) does not get a free ride, however.  The player to the new 
defender(Boris)'s right who is still in play is the attacker (Tanya).  This often means 
that a player (Tanya) gets to attack twice in a row: first against the player who has 
just been eliminated (Misha), and second against the new defender (Boris).</p><p>
</p><p>

</p><h2>Hints</h2>
<h3>A</h3>
Preferably this is an unwanted card, usually one of low value, 
but not necessarily.<p>
</p><h3>B</h3>
You may want to collect cards of the same value to increase the 
punch of an attack.<p>
</p><h3>C</h3>
Defender may want to keep trump cards to the end of the game, 
but not necessarily.<p>
</p><h3>D</h3>
By defending with a trump of the same face value, the defender 
minimizes the risk of further attacks.<p>
</p><h3>E</h3>
Picking up the first card can sometimes be a wise move.<p>
</p><h3>F</h3>
If a player has enough cards there is no need to refresh the hand.<p>
</p><h3>G</h3>
As a player your goal is to keep the person to your immediate right from defending 
successfully, and to help the person two spaces for your right from 
losing a turn.<p>
</p><p>

Rules rendition by Alejandro Tkaczevski of ?, USA
</p><address>tka@crl.com</address> August 3, 1993<p>

</p><p>

<a href="http://www.gamecabinet.com/">The Game Cabinet</a> 
-  <a href="mailto:editor@gamecabinet.com">editor@gamecabinet.com</a>
- <a href="http://www.gamecabinet.com/biography/KenTidwell.html">Ken Tidwell</a></p>


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